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Raynor's Raiders
|fgcolor= |image=RaynorsRaiders SC2 Logo1.svg |imgsize=250px |imgdesc= |race1=Terran |race2= |race3= |type=*Freedom fighters against the Terran Dominion (February, 2500–April, 2505) *Mercenaries (?–April, 2505) *Dominion Armed Forces unit (2505–) |founding= |constitution= |leader=*Commander Jim Raynor (2505–2508) *Admiral Matt Horner (2508–) |headofstate= |headofgov= |commander= |defacto= |executive= |legislative= |judicial= |affiliation=* Terran Dominion (2505–present) ** Dominion Armed Forces (2505–present) |strength=*~300 (February, 2500)Rosenberg, Aaron (June 1, 2006). StarCraft: Queen of Blades. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7133-4. *40 (May, 2500) *Thousands (December, 2504) |capital=Mobile (Battlecruiser Hyperion) (February, 2500–April, 2505) Korhal (2505–) |special=Death Head Hercules dropship Outback Hunter Skibi's Angel |language=English |currency=Credits |holiday= |formed=*Raynor's Rangers *Sons of Korhal personnel *Confederate personnel |established=February 2500 |fragmented= |reorganized= |dissolved= |restored= |status=Active |nocat= }} Raynor's Raiders are a terran military formation led by Commander Jim Raynor. It has a history of cooperation with the protoss thanks in part to Raynor's personal connections. The Raiders were formed from Raynor's Rangers and scattered troops from other factions during the Great War; the Rangers left the Sons of Korhal after Arcturus Mengsk abandoned Sarah Kerrigan to the zerg at the Battle of New Gettysburg.Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0671-04148-9. Once the Raiders ceased being Raynor's Rangers of the Sons of Korhal, the primary color in their paint scheme changed from red to blue.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Hammer Falls (in English). 1998. The Raiders' flagship and base of operations is the Hyperion,2007-08-03. StarCraft II Single-Player Campaign BlizzCon Preview. Gamespot. Accessed 2007-08-07. a ''Behemoth''-class battlecruiser. The Sons of Korhal captured it from the Confederacy and used it as their base before the Great War.Neilson, Micky (December 18, 2000). StarCraft: Uprising. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0743-41898-0 (eBook). It was subsequently hijacked by the Raiders following the Fall of Tarsonis. Upon formation the Raiders operated as an anti-Dominion rebel group.2008-01-28. Biography (Terran, Jim Raynor). Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2008-01-28. After the the Raiders were marginalized by Dominion propaganda, and enjoyed little success. They were revitalized by the Second Great War and aided the Zerg Swarm to depose Emperor Mengsk.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, The Reckoning (in English). 2013-03-12.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Ascension (in English). 2013-03-12. They have since directed their efforts to reconstruction.Dayton, Cameron et al (July 21, 2014). StarCraft II: War Stories. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). pp. 609-625. ASIN B00IWTWTBY. History Formation When the Confederacy abandoned Mar Sara at the beginning of the Great War, the Mar Sara Colonial Militia joined the Sons of Korhal to survive. The Militia formed the nucleus of the elite Raynor's Rangers. Arcturus Mengsk's ruthless and callous behavior during the Fall of Tarsonis alienated Captain James Raynor and many of the Rangers. Raynor and many Rangers left the Sons of Korhal. Raynor was picked up by the former Confederate battlecruiser, the Thunder Child, on his way to safety. Rebellion against the Sons of Korhal The Raiders fought an immediate action against the Sons of Korhal over Tarsonis. The Sons of Korhal sought to use the ion cannon to prevent the Raiders from escaping the orbital platforms. Although heavily outnumbered, the Raiders struck and destroyed the cannon and made good their escape. Upon their escape the Raiders numbered some 300, more than Raynor expected. Not all were originally members of the unit; some were Confederate and Sons of Korhal soldiers evacuated from Tarsonis, and at least one was from Alpha Squadron. To sustain even this small force the Raiders raided the Dylar IV shipyards to obtain the ships there. Mengsk foresaw this and sent General Edmund Duke to stop them. However, the Raiders gained the upper hand in the cramped confines of the yard and made off with Hyperion and several other ships. Conflict with the Zerg ]] The small armada found its way to Char after Raynor was psychically called to the burnt-out world. Alpha Squadron General Edmund Duke was also in the area, sent there after Arcturus Mengsk felt the same psionic call.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Agent of the Swarm (in English). 1998. The two confronted each other but did not do battle. Both had been lured there by psychic emissions produced by Sarah Kerrigan,Jim Raynor: "But the dreams... I dreamed you were still alive... that somehow... you were calling to me." Sarah Kerrigan: "I was. While I was in the Chrysalis, I instinctively reached out to you and Arcturus telepathically." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Agent of the Swarm (in English). 1998. who had been encased in a cocoon by a new zerg brood, where she was undergoing a metamorphosis into a special infested terran. Duke attacked the new Zerg Brood, but was defeated in a disastrous battle. He was pursued by the Tiamat Brood.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The New Dominion (in English). 1998. Raynor's forces landed on Char, avoiding Duke's forces. Hyperion remained in orbit under the command of Matt Horner. The Raiders ground force quickly came into conflict with the zerg. During the battle, Kerrigan emerged from the cocoon and easily defeated his forces. Kerrigan allowed Raynor to leave her presence alive. As Kerrigan wished to remove ghost conditioning blocks on her mental powers, she personally led a force against the Dominion science vessel, the Amerigo, in order to access its ghost files.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Amerigo (in English). 1998. Her other forces attacked both the Dominion and Raiders fleet. Protoss forces under Executor Tassadar arrived, attacking both of their fleets and destroying many of their ships due to the presence of the zerg. The Raiders suffered some 50 casualties, but Hyperion managed to escape by jumping blindly into warp space. Alliance with the Protoss The Raiders were stranded on Char, at least until the Hyperion returned. While there Jim Raynor encountered both Tassadar and the Dark Templar Prelate Zeratul. He eventually befriended both of them, and comforted members of his crew, such as Lieutenant Deke Cavez, who had issues dealing with them. The three allied forces clashed repeatedly with the zerg. The remnants of the Raiders fled to a nearby space platform with the protoss. Eventually they were rescued by a protoss fleet from Aiur sent to arrest Tassadar.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Hunt for Tassadar (in English). 1998. By this time only 40 Raiders remained. The Raiders accompanied the protoss back to Aiur.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Into the Darkness (in English). 1998. ]] Raynor witnessed the beginning of the rebellion by many of the Templar Caste loyal to Tassadar against the Judicators and their servants. During the battle to rescue Tassadar from the Judicators, Raynor provided assistance from the Hyperion, alongside Praetor Fenix, a respected protoss hero.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Trial of Tassadar (in English). 1998. The two quickly became friends.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Escape from Aiur (in English). 1998. Raynor provided major assistance in the final battle against the first zerg Overmind. His forces maintained a base on the northwest flank of the zerg, while Tassadar, Fenix and Zeratul attacked from the southeast. Together their pincer attack drove the zerg into disarray. Unfortunately, the Dark Templar could not approach the Overmind to assassinate it. Tassadar was forced to destroy the Overmind by suicidally channeling the energies of the protoss through Gantrithor.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Eye of the Storm (in English). 1998.Blizzard Entertainment Staff. 2007-11-21. The Story so Far... Part 1: StarCraft. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2007-11-21. Raynor's Raiders in the Brood War From Aiur the group would continue to serve alongside protoss warriors under the direction of Captain Raynor, and helped defend the flank of refugee Khalai as they used a warp gate to abandon their homeworld for the Dark Templar homeworld of Shakuras. After the evacuation of the protoss, Fenix refused to leave Aiur, and Raynor remained with him. Raynor and Fenix closed the warp gate on their side to prevent the zerg from flooding Shakuras through it.Raynor: "Executor, my crew and I will remain here on Aiur and shut the gate down on this side. It's the only way to make sure that the Zerg won't send more reinforcements to Shakuras." Artanis: "You will be hopelessly outnumbered, and once the gate is shut down there will be no one to save you should you be overrun." Raynor: "Yeah, well... I'm a man of action. What can I say?" Fenix: "I shall remain with Raynor as well, Executor. My duty is to Aiur, after all." Artanis: "Farewell then, brave warriors. We will send through all the troops we can spare." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Dunes of Shakuras (in English). 1998. Though stranded, the protoss and terran forces were soon contacted by a freed Kerrigan. She offered assistance in combating the United Earth Directorate, which had entered the Koprulu sector and was conquering the Terran Dominion, and in defeating the threat of the second Overmind that was recently born. Arcturus Mengsk, Emperor of the Dominion, had been deposed by the UED on the Throne World of Korhal IV. The Raiders, with the assistance of protoss forces and flying the Hyperion, rescued Mengsk.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Emperor's Fall (in English). 1998. He was placed in stasis. The Raiders then fled to Aiur, where the protoss maintained a small outpost near the planet's warp gate. The United Earth Directorate arrived on Aiur seeking Mengsk for execution. They discovered the warp gate, which was protected by a small protoss outpost. The UED raided the outpost and destroyed Raynor's command center, but a zerg wave attacked the UED just as they moved in to intercept the Raiders. Raynor, Fenix and Mengsk were able to escape and detonate the warp gate behind them.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Emperor's Flight (in English). 1998. The Psi Disrupter and Kerrigan's Weakness Despite Duran's best efforts, the United Earth Directorate activated the powerful anti-zerg weapon, the psi disrupter, revealing Duran as an infested terran.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Patriot's Blood (in English). 1998. They also captured the second Overmind, putting themselves in control of most zerg in the Koprulu sector.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: To Chain the Beast (in English). 1998. Kerrigan herself could barely keep her own zerg in line on Tarsonis, where she was hiding out. In return for destroying the psi disrupter, she promised Raynor and Fenix that she would topple the UED fleet in the Koprulu sector.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Vile Disruption (in English). 1998. To do this she needed the help of Arcturus Mengsk. Mengsk was "defrosted" and offered a choice - work with Kerrigan, or imprisonment for life. Fenix and Raynor agreed to work with Kerrigan and Mengsk,Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Reign of Fire (in English). 1998. but they believed Kerrigan would betray them. Nevertheless, Raynor felt the UED was a greater threat than Kerrigan – he knew something of Earth's history. Kerrigan's first directed the allies against the psi disrupter on Braxis. During the first stage of the assault, the Raiders destroyed the disrupter's fusion reactors. With the disrupter disabled, a SCV carrying one of Mengsk's psi-emitters lured uncontrolled zerg in the area. Kerrigan took control of this zerg nucleus and used it to assemble a force that destroyed the psi disrupter. True Colors The Raiders, Terran Dominion and Kerrigan's Zerg Swarm cooperated in an attack against Korhal. The UED only had a small number of zerg forces on the planet to assist them. The coalition defeated the UED, driving them from the planet.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Liberation of Korhal (in English). 1998. This was when Kerrigan turned on her former allies – while they were resting from their attack on the UED. Her forces tore into the Raiders,(July 27, 2010) Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty: Behind the Scenes bonus DVD (in English). the Dominion, and the protoss. Fenix was killed, prompting Raynor to swear revenge.Raynor: "I'll see you dead for this, Kerrigan. For Fenix and all the others who got caught between you and your mad quest for power!" Kerrigan: "Tough talk, Jimmy. But I don't think you have what it takes to be a killer." Raynor: "It may not be tomorrow, darlin'. It may not even happen with an army at my back. But rest assured: I'm the man who's going to kill you some day. I'll be seein' you." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: True Colors (in English). 1998. Raynor vanished for a time following the end of the war.Zeratul and James Raynor went their separate ways and have not been heard from since their departure. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Epilogue (in English). 1998. Aftermath The Raiders remained active after the Brood War, fighting against the Zerg Swarm. They were called to aid Artanis as he rooted out the last of the cerebrates on Braxis, and sought to cure the now infested Alexei Stukov the cerebrates had resurrected through infestation. The Raiders fought alongside Praetor Taldarin and his forces as they pushed through renegade zerg and terran mercenaries to deliver a anti-zerg nanite cure to Stukov, temporarily curing his infestation. The Raiders and protoss then escaped the planet as Artanis's fleet purified its surface.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft 64. Nintendo of America, Inc. Mission: Resurrection IV (in English). 2000-06-12. Raynor networked and struck alliances with anti-Dominion groups such as the Kel-Morian Combine, even spending time on Moria c. 2502.Furman, Simon (w), Federico Dallocchio (p, i), Milen Parvanov (col). "StarCraft #2" StarCraft 1''' (2) (June 24, 2009) DC Comics (Wildstorm). The group frequently hid out on zerg-infested worlds.Furman, Simon (w), Federico Dallocchio (p, i), Milen Parvanov (col). "StarCraft #3" StarCraft '''1 (3) (August 19, 2009) DC Comics (Wildstorm). The Raiders would aid civilians across the sector wherever he could, notably helping to rescue the population of Meteor Station when the colony suffered a critical failure, and asked for nothing in return.Brooks, Robert. The Cinematic Art of StarCraft (hardcover). Blizzard Entertainment, October 18, 2018. The Raiders would often make trips to Deadman's Port, once rescuing and recruiting scientist Egon Stetmann,Blizzard Entertainment. 2010-07-24. Cast of Characters: Egon Stetmann. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2010-09-10. and once having Matt Horner win mercenary leader Mira Han's hand in marriage in a game of poker.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Matt Horner (in English). 2010.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after The Great Train Robbery (in English). 2010 The Raiders also recruited ex-miner Rory Swann from a Kel-Morian Combine attack on their mining revolt. Swann then became chief engineer for the Raiders.Blizzard Entertainment. 2010-07-24. Cast of Characters: Rory Swann. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2010-07-24. At some point, Raynor's Raiders attempted an attack on Kerrigan, trying to make good on Jim Raynor's vow to see her dead during the Brood War. However, this attack failed.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). Cinematic: StarCraft II: The Story So Far (in English). 2015-10-27. The War Pigs Jim Raynor was targeted by the War Pigs, a band of ex-Confederate outlaws working for Dominion official Tamsen Cauley. He offered them their freedom if they would assassinate Raynor.Giffen, Keith and Simon Furman (w), Federico Dallocchio (p, i), Milen Parvanov (col). "StarCraft #1" StarCraft 1''' (1) (May 27, 2009) DC Comics (Wildstorm). Unknown to the other War Pigs, one of their members, Cole Hickson, an old friend of Raynor's, had been subjected to an experimental form of neural resocialization, hidden in his subconscious.Furman, Simon (w), Federico Dallocchio (p, i), Carlos D'Anda (p, i). "StarCraft #5" StarCraft '''1 (5) (October 28, 2009) DC Comics (Wildstorm). During the War Pigs' journeys, one of them stole a xel'naga artifact, attracting the attention of a trio of Dark Templar. The protoss warriors read their minds, discovering their plans. Raynor's Raiders hid on the zerg-infested world of Urona Sigma in a tunnel system accessible only by sea. The Dark Templar arrived, and warned Raynor of who was coming for them. The Raiders planned on leaving Urona Sigma, as the protoss felt the planet was a lost cause and they would begin a purification attack on it.Furman, Simon (w), Federico Dallocchio, Mike S. Miller, Carlos D'Anda (p, i). "StarCraft #6" StarCraft 1''' (6) (November 25, 2009) DC Comics (Wildstorm). The War Pigs discovered the Raiders, only to fall into their trap, due to the warning they'd received from the dark templar. However, Raynor trusted their leader, Cole Hickson, enabling Hickson to secretly draw a weapon. As Raynor explained part of the history between Hickson and himself – Hickson had saved his sanity years ago – Hickson pointed his pistol in Raynor's face, surprising the War Pigs. Raynor believed that Hickson was being controlled by neural resocialization. The zerg then broke into the Raiders' lair, resulting in Hickson's escape. Raynor, separated from his Raiders, was forced to team up with the War Pigs. Together they escaped to the surface, with the War Pigs sealing the way behind them. However, Hickson ambushed Raynor again. Raynor made Hickson remember his sanity-saving techniques and the resocialization procedure. Hickson, overcome with stress, fell to the ground screaming. At that moment, the protoss began the purification of Urona Sigma. Raynor and the War Pigs were trapped on the surface, away from the Raiders' dropships and the War Pigs' transport vessel. The purification attack began away from Raynor and the War Pigs' location (and away from the heaviest concentration of zerg). The Raiders, despite the name, considered themselves bigger than just one man and so would not rescue Raynor. However, transport arrived in the form of a dropship carrying Lars Trakken and a Cerberus squad. Trakken felt he had to see Hickson's death personally, and told the War Pigs he would let them go if only they gave him Hickson. Raynor and the War Pigs pretended to agree, but it was just a ruse to steal the dropship. Successful, they made it to the War Pigs' ship.Furman, Simon (w), Federico Dallocchio, Carlos D'Anda (p, i). "StarCraft #7" StarCraft '''1 (7) (January 20, 2009) DC Comics (Wildstorm). Prelude to War The Raiders became the most wanted criminals in the Koprulu Sector due to Arcturus Mengsk's media control, oratory and propaganda, portraying the Raiders as a terrorist organization.Morrissey, Paul, ed. StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 1 (paperback binding). Tokyopop, August 1, 2008. ISBN 1427-80721-3. The battle against the Dominion did not go well. Raynor led the Raiders to more victories than defeats, but their fighting strength was 1/100th that of the Dominion, and they were constantly outgunned and outnumbered.Bogdanove, Kal-El. "The Fightin' SceeVees." (May 30, 2013). Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft Lore: The Fightin' SceeVees. Accessed 2013-05-30 The group's finances deteriorated. Falling morale was exacerbated by Raynor's increasing personal doubts and turn to heavy drink. Matt Horner, the Raiders' executive, was notable exception to the malaise; he remained wholeheartedly committed to Raynor and the goals of the movement. The continuation of the Raiders in this trying period owed much to Horner's efforts.Blizzard Entertainment. 2010-07-24. Cast of Characters: Matt Horner. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-04-08.Metzen, Chris; Chambers, Andy; StarCraft Legacy staff. 2009-04-03. BlizzCon 2007 StarCraft Lore Panel Editorial. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2009-05-18. Over the years, control of the Raiders' small fleet and the military aspects of the campaign also became Horner's responsibilities. By the outbreak of the Second Great War, the Raiders' numbers were reduced to just the a handful of volunteers.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after Zero Hour (in English). 2010Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Matt Horner (in English). 2010. Wings of Liberty The Second Great War found Raynor and the Raiders on Mar Sara inciting an anti-Dominion revolt.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Liberation Day (in English). 2010-07-27. They accepted a business proposition from Tychus Findlay, Raynor's old friend recently freed from prison, to collect alien artifacts for the Moebius Foundation.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Old Times. (in English). 2010. Trading in alien artifacts was illegal in the DominionBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Open Rebellion: UNN newscast after "The Outlaws." (in English). 2010. but the Raiders needed the money. The Raiders retrieved the first artifact from a Dominion dig site on Mar Sara.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, The Outlaws (in English). 2010-07-27. The zerg invaded the planet shortly afterwards, also looking for the artifact, before the Raiders could head off-world. The besieged RaidersBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Zero Hour (in English). 2010-07-27. were rescued by Matt Horner and Hyperion.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Escape from Mar Sara. (in English). 2010. Colonial Savior The Dominion abandoned many fringe worlds at the war's onset. The colonists of Agria were rescued by the RaidersBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, The Evacuation (in English). 2010-07-27. and relocated to the refugee camps on Meinhoff.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Outbreak (in English). 2010-07-27. The colony's leader, Doctor Ariel Hanson, joined the Raiders temporarily.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Ariel Hanson (in English). 2010. A zerg hyper-evolutionary virus struck the refugee camps and the Raiders were forced to purge the affected camps. The colonists left Meinhoff and resettled on Haven, near protoss space. However, the terrans carried viral spores and a protoss fleet under Executor Selendis arrived to purify the colony. Hanson appealed to Raynor to protect the colony from the protoss, while the executor wanted the Raiders to assist in the purification. The Raiders defended Haven from the protoss, destroying their Purifier and saving the colony from purification.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Safe Haven (in English). 2010-07-27. Spectre of Unease Other anti-Dominion groups also took advantage of the war. Gabriel Tosh, a pirate and a spectre, hired the Raiders to acquire materials for a spectre training program. Tosh initially kept the program, and his status as a spectre, a secret;Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Breakout (in English). 2010-07-27. he secured the Raiders' cooperation by offering cash-for-services and an alliance against Mengsk.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Gabriel Tosh (in English). 2010. Tosh sent the Raiders to mine minerals from Redstone III;Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, The Devil's Playground (in English). 2010-07-27. the spectre secretly sought the minerals' jorium content.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after The Devil's Playground (in English). 2010 This was followed by a raid on Bel'Shir to acquire terrazine from the Tal'darim.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Welcome to the Jungle (in English). 2010-07-27. Tosh's motives and nature were revealed as the Raiders were preparing to break open New Folsom Prison and free Tosh's imprisoned spectres.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Breakout (in English). 2010-07-27. Dominion ghost Nova Terra, in pursuit of Tosh, warned the Raiders that the spectres were too unstable and dangerous to trust; instead, she wanted the Raiders' help to shut down the spectre training program on Avernus station. Raynor decided to aid Tosh over Nova's word, and broke his spectre comrades out of New Folsom.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Ghost of a Chance (in English). 2010-07-27. The Revolution The Raiders found themselves on Tarsonis, with the Terran Dominion excavating old Confederate technology and moving it via lightly-defended trains. They raided the trains and retrieved an old Confederate adjutant.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, The Great Train Robbery (in English). 2010-07-27. The rebels hired Colonel Orlan to decrypt the adjutant's data. Orlan secretly planned to sell the information to the Dominion, and hired Mira's Marauders to fend off the Raiders. However, Mira Han, in turn, betrayed Orlan and resold her services to the Raiders. Orlan was forced to relinquish the decrypted adjutant to the Raiders. The rebels were pleased to discover the adjutant contained a recording proving Mengsk ordered the use of psi emitters on Tarsonis.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Cutthroat (in English). 2010-07-27. Han had another tip for the Raiders: the Dominion was testing a new weapon of war, the Odin, at . The Raiders decided to steal it; they could use it to deliver the Confederate adjutant's information to the Dominion citizenry. The mission was successful; Tychus Findlay stole the Odin and used it to destroy five Dominion bases. The Dominion was unaware of the nature of the attack and had no idea their weapon had been subverted.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Engine of Destruction (in English). 2010-07-27. Finally, the Odin was transported to Korhal, where Findlay took it on a rampage. During the battle, the Raiders uploaded the adjutant's information to UNN towers. This prompted Dominion civilians to revolt.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Media Blitz (in English). 2010-07-27. While assaulting Korhal, the Raiders destroyed a science facility which held information about a secret installation on Castanar. Jim Raynor led a small force to raid the installation, using the security overrides to get past obstacles. Finding a protoss/zerg hybrid cloned over and over, the Raiders destroyed the facility's fusion reactor, but released a powerful hybrid and were forced to run from the facility using a Hercules dropship.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Piercing the Shroud (in English). 2010-07-27. Artifact Hunt On Monlyth, the protoss present, the Tal'darim, refused to turn the artifact over to the Raiders and to make matters worse, the Zerg Swarm had arrived with the intention of retrieving the artifact as well. The Raiders managed to retrieve the artifact.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Smash and Grab (in English). 2010-07-27. The Raiders once again encountered the Tal'darim on Xil, a world that housed a xel'naga temple, succeeding where the Moebius Foundation failed and retrieving the artifact inside. Findlay was pleased with the catch and the pay it would bring, but Raynor was less enthusiastic, wondering if retrieving the artifacts was worth his men's lives.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, The Dig (in English). 2010-07-27. Kerrigan attacked the Moebius Foundation base at Tyrador VIII, intending to learn the location of the artifacts. However, Dr. Emil Narud hired Raynor's Raiders to destroy their data cores before Kerrigan could get to them.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, The Moebius Factor (in English). 2010-07-27. By this point, funding from Moebius was what largely funded the Raider's revolution.Bogdanove, Kal-El. "The Fightin' SceeVees." (May 30, 2013). Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft Lore: The Fightin' SceeVees. Accessed 2013-05-30 The Raiders pressed on, capturing yet another artifact from Typhon XI.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Supernova (in English). 2010-07-27. When the Hyperion arrived to the Moebius Foundation meeting coordinates, they instead encountered a Dominion fleet led by Bucephalus, Mengsk's flagship. Against Horner's advice, Raynor ordered Hyperion alongside for a boarding action. Raynor and Tychus Findlay led the charge. The rebel leader broke into Mengsk's chambers intending to execute his long-time nemesis. However, Raynor was surprised to find Crown Prince Valerian Mengsk, and not Emperor Arcturus Mengsk. The prince revealed he owned the Moebius Foundation, and the Raiders were unwittingly working for him. Furthermore, Valerian offered an alliance against the zerg; he believed a device could be created from the artifacts to deinfest Kerrigan.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Heir Apparent. (in English). 2010. Raynor agreed to work with Valerian. This action provoked resentment from most of the Raiders.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. General dialogue (in English). 2010. Raynor still pressed ahead, acquiring the final artifact from a xel'naga worldship defended by the Tal'darim Executor.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Maw of the Void (in English). 2010-07-27. He regained the respect and loyalty of the crew by beating a fully-armored Findlay in a bar fight, and convincing them that a successful revolution also required the zerg to be dealt with. The crew were particularly impressed by the resurgence of Raynor's determination.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Bar Fight. (in English). 2010. Going to Char Valerian intended to invade Char, a dangerous proposition. He took half the Dominion fleet with him, along with General Horace Warfield. Mengsk contacted him and told him he was in over his head. However, Valerian stood beside Raynor, telling his father that he would deinfest Kerrigan, something his father could never do.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Dangerous Games. (in English). 2010. Once on the ground, the Raiders rallied beleaguered terran forces to establish Warfield Forward Base. The Raiders rescued Warfield from a battlecruiser that crashed landed on the surface.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Gates of Hell (in English). 2010-07-27. Afterward, the commanders planned a preparatory operation to weaken zerg forces; Findlay proposed assaulting tunnels that Raynor was familiar with, destroying the nydus network. Warfield preferred to attack a massive space platform over Char instead, crippling zerg air support.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. General dialogue (in English), after Gates of Hell. 2010. With the zerg weakened, the terrans brought the artifact within range of Kerrigan's primary hive and dug in. Kerrigan personally participated in counter-attacks, but the terrans held with the tactical application of the charging artifact. Once fully charged, the artifact's effect devastated the hive's defenses and de-infested Kerrigan.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, All In (in English). 2010-07-27. Raynor and Findlay found Kerrigan deinfested. While Raynor was amazed to see her human again, Findlay, under orders from Mengsk, tried to kill her. Raynor stopped Findlay's attempt and shot him with his revolver. He then carried Kerrigan out of the ruined hive cluster, across the battlefield.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: The Showdown. (in English). 2010. Flashpoint In the aftermath of their victory on Char, the Raiders were faced with the arrival of the other half of the Dominion Fleet, led by Arcturus Mengsk himself. Refusing to turn over Kerrigan to him, the Raiders fled the Char system along with Valerian Mengsk and those loyal to him. Mengsk was able to track them however, and eventually, all that was left of the rebel fleet was the Hyperion and the Bucephalus. The Raiders arrived at Dead Man's Rock, to seek aid from Mira Han. However a traitor in their ranks working for the Dominion, Cooper, convinced a group of the mercenaries of the planet to turn on their forces, and the Raiders headed for Space Station Prometheus, a Moebius Foundation base. However, it was revealed that Narud was in league with Arcturus Mengsk, and once again, the Dominion Fleet arrived. However, the Raiders were once again able to escape, and headed for an Umojan Protectorate space platform for repairs, and to turn Kerrigan over for study.Golden, Christie (November 6, 2012). StarCraft II: Flashpoint. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1451-65962-7. Heart of The Swarm On XT39323, Valerian continued performing tests on Kerrigan in the refuge of the Umojan Protectorate.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Hopes and Fears (in English). 2013-03-12. However, it went awry when the Dominion raided the lab with only one objective: Assassinate Kerrigan.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Get it Together (in English). 2013-03-12. Kerrigan escaped to the Hyperion, but Raynor was captured by Nova Terra.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, Back in the Saddle (in English). 2013-03-12. A Dominion fleet attacked Hyperion to kill Kerrigan. Matt contacted the Dominion fleet and told them that Valerian was aboard, but it did not deter them.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Choices (in English). 2013-03-12. The Raiders presumed Raynor to be dead after the Dominion announced his execution.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Transmission (in English). 2013-03-12. Horner took over command in his absence.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cutscenes: Dominion Space Missions (in English). 2013-03-12. Rescuing Raynor The Raiders later learned from Kerrigan (in her new primal-infested form) that Raynor was still alive; she needed their help to discover Raynor's undisclosed prison. The Raiders contacted Mira Han to release expert hacker Orlan to them. Raynor had entrusted Orlan to her custody, and without Raynor's express instructions Han refused to release Orlan. The Raiders attacked one of her operations in an asteroid belt until she release Orlan.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, With Friends Like These... (in English). 2013-03-12. Orlan hacked the Dominion deep-encryption network and discovered Raynor was held aboard the prison ship Moros. Kerrigan and the Swarm boarded the ship. By her instructions, the Raiders did not join the boarders, but provided remote support.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, Conviction (in English). 2013-03-12. Raynor was freed but was horrified by Kerrigan's return to the zerg.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Believe in Me (in English). 2013-03-12. Assault on Korhal While Valerian and Horner were busy with evacuating the civilian of Korhal, the Raiders joined the zerg in the attack on Mengsk's palace. Their goal of overthrowing Mengsk was a success when Kerrigan herself entered the palace to kill the Emperor. Mengsk used the xel'naga artifact against Kerrigan but his remote controller was destroyed by Raynor who arrived just in time. Kerrigan then killed Mengsk. Post-Second Great War In the aftermath of the collapse of Mengsk's regime, the Raiders turned their efforts towards rebuilding terran civilization in the Koprulu sector, and were absorbed into the Dominion Armed Forces under Emperor Valerian. However, the peace did not last long as the Moebius Corps, under the control of Amon, launched an invasion of Korhal. They targeted the Sky Shield orbital platform and damaged its atmospheric stabilizers, seeking to crash the platform onto the capital city of Augustgrad.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Sky Shield. (in English). November 10, 2015 After their plans were foiled by the arrival of Artanis and his protoss forces, they attempted to ship the Keystone off world after stealing it from Korhal Palace. Their efforts were thwarted by the combined forces of Dominion and the Daelaam.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Brothers in Arms. (in English). November 10, 2015 The Raiders fought under the command of Jim Raynor during the End War, fighting alongside allied commanders to push Amon's Forces back across the sector.Blizzard Entertainment. Co-op Missions. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Jim Raynor (in English). 2018. Into the Void Two years later, Jim Raynor was contacted by Sarah Kerrigan, who told him and Hierarch Artanis of Amon's continued presence in the Void. Jim Raynor, with a contingent of former raiders and a portion of the Dominion Fleet, led Raynor's Raiders into the Void alongside zerg and protoss forces and aided them in the final defeat of Emil Narud, releasing the xel'naga Ouros from his clutches.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Into the Void (mission). (in English). November 10, 2015 The Raiders then coordinated the defense of Kerrigan as she absorbed Ouros's essence, allowing her time to ascend into a xel'naga.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: The Essence of Eternity. (in English). November 10, 2015 Finally, Raynor's Raiders aided Kerrigan as she engaged Amon himself, defeating the fallen xel'naga and ending his reign of terror over the universe.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Amon's Fall. (in English). November 10, 2015 A Better Future In the aftermath of the End War, many former members of Raynor's Raiders continued to be in high positions of Valerian Mengsk's new Terran Dominion, and many remained within the Dominion Armed Forces.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Nova Covert Ops, Sudden Strike (in English). 2016-03-29. Arsenal The Raiders favor reconnaissance and guerrilla warfare,2014-09-11, Hellion Science. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-09-12 and have access to some older terran technology, such as wraiths, goliaths, and medics; Raider's have been around for a while and make use of older technology.Allen 'Delsyn' Rausch, Dustin Browder. 2008-10-10. StarCraft II: Making the Split (PC). Gamespy. Accessed 2008-10-12. Even years after the Brood War many of their ships were leftovers from the Sons of Korhal.Furman, Simon (w), Federico Dallocchio (p, i), Carlos D'Anda (p, i). "StarCraft #5" StarCraft 1 (5) (October 28, 2009) DC Comics (Wildstorm). Over the course of the Second Great War, the Raiders gained access to more advanced technology, such as banshees and battlecruisers.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). July 27, 2010 The group does not possess a standardized uniform, and its members often appear rumpled and unshaven. The Raiders also possess a number of vehicles, aerospace craft and infantry that are unique to them.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Zerg research (in English). 2010.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II. (Activision Blizzard) Map: Left 2 Die (in English). 2011. Known Units *SceeVee Special Engineering Corps Known Raiders . From left to right: Egon Stetmann, Milo Kachinsky, Earl, Marcus Cade, Annabelle Thatcher]] Command *Admiral Matt Horner (second in command under time of Jim Raynor) *Lieutenant Abernathy *Lieutenant Deke Cavez Engineers/Technicians *Chief Engineer Rory Swann *Engineer's Mate Aaren Ruth *Milo Kachinsky *Earl SceeVee Special Engineering Corps *Sergeant Bill "Pearly" Bousquette (corps leader) *Lieutenant Chewitel "Choosey" Wsoro *Corporal Liam Griffud *First Welder Steiglitz *Blake *Cortez *Dean Mozian *Patel *Eddie Rimes *Drew Roder *Dave Warner Pilots *Lieutenant Hathaway (dropship pilot) *Belloc (shuttle pilot) *Wil Merrick (pilot of the dropship Fanfare) Soldiers *Cam Fraser *Haynes *Lisle *McMurty (also a chaplain) *Rolfsen *Gabriel Tosh *Tumar *Ajendarro Ybarra Other *Bralik *Jessica Hall *Graven Hill (mercenary recruiter) *Lily Preston (medic) Former/Deceased *Commander Jim Raynor *Crown Prince Valerian Mengsk *"The Commander" *Lieutenant Physon *Sergeant Ling *Sergeant Lisa Mannix *Corporal Miles Lewis *Petty Officer Wolfe *Private Deslan *Private Gina Elani *Private Lance Messner *Private Non *Doctor Ariel Hanson *Doctor Egon Stetmann *Addams *Chuck Ayers *Leanda Bluth *Marcus Cade *Cooper *Vigo "Tuna" Czark *Fedders *Tychus Findlay *Kobayashi *M. Koiter *LeFleur *Nguyen *Ari Patel *Sanchez *Melinda Squire *Annabelle Thatcher *Warriton *Wenders Notes *The symbol for Raynor's Raiders first appeared in StarCraft: The Board Game as the symbol for Raynor's faction,Corey Konieczka, Robert A. Kouba, Dan Clark (December 17, 2008). StarCraft: The Board Game: Brood War. Fantasy Flight Games. ASIN 1589945034 and would go on to appear in StarCraft II and its surrounding media.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). July 27, 2010 *Concept art for Heart of the Swarm depicted a Raiders base on Char.2011-10-21, StarCraft 2’s Developers Talk Game Balance for Heart of the Swarm. PikiGeek, accessed on 2011-12-29 No such Raiders base appeared in the final game. *Raynor's Raiders appear as one of the main factions in StarCraft the Board Game. *The Raynor's Raiders symbol is the default multiplayer decal for the terran race.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). July 27, 2010 *The Raiders 'marine speech' is taken verbatim from the film Aliens. *The Raiders logo can be seen on the back of a tracksuit in the cinematic trailer for Overwatch. *In Why We Fight, Raynor's Raiders is mistakenly referred to as "Raynor's Riders."Elder, Josh (w), Ramanda Kamarga (p). "Why We Fight." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 1 (paperback binding), pp. 6–47. Tokyopop, August 1, 2008. ISBN 978-1427-80721-2. Merchandise *A Raynor's Raiders Heroes of the Storm shirt was available from Jinx.com, featuring the group's name, symbol, tagline and two banshees.2017-07-08, Heroes of the Storm Raynor's Raiders Premium Tee. Jinx.com, accessed on 2017-07-08 *A Raynor's Raiders t-shirt featuring the group's logo, name and rattlesnake motif was made available on the battle.net store.2019-08-08, StarCraft Raynor's Raiders Shirt. Battle.net, accessed on 2019-08-08 RaidersShirt Real1.jpg|Raynor's Raiders Heroes of the Storm shirt RaynorsRaiders Shirt Real1.png|Raynor's Raiders rattlesnake shirt References Category:Terran rebel groups Category:Terran mercenary organizations Category:Dominion Armed Forces Category:Featured Articles